Gretel
Gretel is a character on ABC's Heroes Unite and Through the Looking Glass. She debuts in the eleventh episode of the sixteenth season. She is portrayed by guest star Sofia Gardera. Gretel is based on the character of the same name from the fairy tale, "Hansel and Gretel". Gretel is the cursed counterpart of Rapunzel. Bio Years later, Gretel escapes Witch Ginger's tower again and encounters Hansel, who is in search of Witch Ginger, who he claims stole plants from his mistress Gothel. Gretel shows Hansel the plants, and eventually, the two decide to take on Witch Ginger together. They battle Witch Ginger, but she makes it so that Gretel will be unable to bear child. Upset by Witch Ginger's actions, Gretel throws her into the oven in her tower. However, Witch Ginger survives. Many years later, Gretel and Hansel hunt witches, in hopes that they will one day be able to kill Witch Ginger once and for all. One day, they encounter Zelena, who is also in search of the rapunzel plant. Gretel tries to kill her, but Zelena manages to stop her, saying that she's messed with the wrong witch. Gretel challenges Zelena to a battle of honor, but Zelena refuses, saying that she already has honor – she does not need anymore. However, Gretel ignores Zelena's refusal and tries to kill her, failing to do so. Zelena then realizes that Gretel is wielding the Sword of Destiny. Furious that she has it, Zelena takes the sword from Gretel and says that if she ever crosses paths with Gretel again, she'll kill her once and for all. At some point in time later, Gretel and Hansel have a falling-out. Soon after falling out with Hansel, Gretel travels to the Garden of Souls to see if Witch Ginger and Zelena are dead yet. However, before she is able to enter, Alecto appears and confronts Gretel. Gretel tells Alecto to move out of her way or she'll kill her, but Alecto's unfazed. Gretel then takes out her dagger, which according to her, has been enchanted with poison by Mother Gothel. Gretel then attacks Alecto, but Alecto teleports away with her sword. Alecto then pushes Gretel into the murky waters of the Garden and informs that being trapped in the Garden is her punishment. However, Gretel manages to escape and departs from the Garden. At some point in time, Gretel encounters Witch Ginger again and is imprisoned for many years in the Manor of the Enchanted Sun. }} Soon afterwards, Gretel encounters Queen Isabella, who knows Gretel's darkest secret and why she wants Zelena dead. Gretel then reveals that she knows that Isabella isn't who she appears to be. Isabella smiles wickedly before asserting that she is indeed not who she claims to be. Isabella reveals that a long time ago, she lived in the Realm of Destiny as Elizabeth Amer, the Hyperion Heights counterpart of the Realm of Destiny's Drizella. Isabella then draws a sword and points it at Gretel's neck, saying that if Gretel wants to continue being alive, she will follow her directions. However, Gretel turns the tables and kills Isabella in order to hide her secret. After this encounter, Gretel encounters Zelena, Alice, and Drizella, who intend to stop Gretel from casting the curse. However, Gretel reveals that she's fulfilled the sacrificial requirements of the Dark Curse by killing Hansel, and that Cora hired her to cast a curse to take all the inhabitants of the Magical Forest and the other worlds to modern-day America. Gretel smiles wickedly, telling the trio that it won't be long until her curse hits, taking them all to a world without magic. She teleports away, leaving Alice, Drizella, and Zelena shell-shocked. }} Later on, Gretel meets up with Belle French, who is desperate to keep her past with Gretel a secret. Belle reveals that she is indeed awake, but not enough that she knows about the Curse's caster. Gretel tells Belle that her friend Kelly is hiding a secret – she knows about their pasts. Belle realizes that though Kelly knows she's awake, Kelly has hidden everything about their past from her. Gretel smiles wickedly as Belle leaves and says that soon, Zelena will be dead once and for all. Gretel confronts Kelly at the Aurora Bridge and challenges her to a witch duel, revealing that Kelly indeed has her old magic in Seattle. Kelly refuses, and reveals that she has had the Sword of Destiny this whole time. Gretel realizes that her witchcraft will be no match for Kelly's weapon of choice. Gretel surrenders, and Kelly uses the Sword to banish Gretel to the newly-reformed Realm of Destiny. Gretel's Curse is partially broken by Dean and Sam's True Love, leading to the curse on all of the worlds being broken, with time resuming. Gretel appears when Kelly regains the memories she lost as a result of Greta Belfrey's Great Curse. Gretel somehow escapes the Realm of Destiny and ends up in Paris and works at a patisserie, where she reencounters Kelly, to the latter's horror. After Kelly recovers from the shock of seeing Gretel fresh out of the Realm of Destiny, she demands to know what she's doing in Paris. Rather than answering, Gretel taunts the former Wicked Witch, inquiring as to why Kelly is now in Paris. Kelly senses that she's going nowhere with Gretel, so she leaves the patisserie, leading to Gretel calling out to Kelly that she knows that her Curse is still active, and that she will make sure everyone falls asleep again. When Kelly goes to see where Gretel is, Gretel's co-worker Jessie Adams says that Gretel is out. Gretel later visits Kelly's Parisian hotel room after learning of her efforts to find her. After a shocked Kelly allows Gretel in, Gretel begins to gloat, claiming that she has found the ultimate solution to the problem that is Kelly and her allies. Kelly demands that Gretel tell her what she's talking about, to which Gretel reveals that she's found the Daleks, a powerful enemy for Kelly to face. Gretel taunts Kelly and then teleports away. Later, Gretel meets up with the Daleks and begins ordering them around, which angers the Daleks. Gretel tries to make amends with them, but they refuse to listen, instead trying to exterminate her. Gretel eventually runs away from the base where she stored the Daleks, seething as her plan has failed. After failing to control the Daleks, Gretel suddenly remembers her past as Rapunzel, and decides to search for Belle so that she can really learn what happened after their adventure together. However, Belle seeks her out herself, and encounters Gretel at the patisserie. Belle wants to forget her past as a killer. However, Gretel reveals a disturbing fact to Belle – the act of murder Belle committed all those years ago inspired her. Belle is horrified – and summons Kelly to the scene. Kelly then opens a portal and banished Gretel to the Land Without Time in hopes that they will never have to deal with her. Soon after her banishment, the Wicked Witch of the West is pushed out of Kelly when Cora returns from the dead and injects her with the serum. The Wicked Witch summons Gretel from the Land Without Time and offers an alliance with her. Gretel smirks wickedly as she joins the alliance with Cora and the Wicked Witch. Later, Kelly and the rest of the heroes face off against the three villains, leading to a magical fight in the heart of Paris. Gretel is later seen slinking away from the battlefield, preparing a magical spell. Later, Cora, Gretel, and the Wicked Witch meet up in a bar for drinks, when Cora proposes going after the heroes. Gretel says that she's up for chasing the heroes out of Paris. Later, the wicked trio meets up with Kelly and her allies at the Eiffel Tower, where a battle promptly breaks out. Gretel uses her magic to tie up Belle and Hugo up, but Kelly frees them. Later, Cora tells her allies to retreat, and the villainous trio reveal that they're casting a Great Curse on Paris which has one purpose – to destroy Zelena once and for all. Kelly eventually learns from a scroll given to her by Sabine in Rome that Gretel is planning on casting the Great Curse to kill Kelly. Eventually, Gretel makes her way to Rome, where she makes her way to Kelly's hotel along with the Wicked Witch of the West. There, Gretel tells Kelly that her escape from Paris only served to make Gretel angrier, as she had the ingredients for the Great Curse prepared. Gretel then takes out a bottle of Dark Curse Potion and splashes it on Kelly, placing her back under the effects of the Dark Curse. When Kelly's eyes reopen, having been closed when she was cursed, she asks what the hell she's doing in Rome, to which Gretel reveals she's on vacation, as her boss in Seattle gave her a holiday. Afterwards, Gretel smiles wickedly, with Kelly leaving to explore Rome, the heroes dumbfounded. Gretel claims that Kelly won't wake up without True Love's Kiss, to which the heroes state that they'll find a way – they always find a way. They soon, with Regina's help, teleport away. Later, the heroes are up against the villains in the Colosseum, where Gretel learns that Kelly's on the road to remembering her past as Zelena. The Wicked Witch is surprised, as is Gretel, who claims that the curse can't be broken so easily. However, the heroes beg to differ, and Gretel is surprised. Witch Ginger then steps out from the heroes' side, and reveals that she can't have Gretel stopping their plans. Gretel tells Ginger that as long as she's alive, then she'll do everything in her power to stop the heroes. Witch Ginger states that the only solution left is to kill Gretel. With magic, Witch Ginger snaps Gretel's neck, killing her. After Gretel's death, she still has unfinished business, and ends up in the Underworld. At some point in time, she becomes the mayor of Sleepy Hollow. When Kelly's memories of her past slowly begin returning, Gretel appears in one of her dreams, warning her not to get involved in things she is not supposed to be involved in. Gretel also offers her advice, telling her that those who believe in magic are not to be trusted, and that she should avoid them. In the Enchanted Forest after Zelena says goodbye to Robin Hood and her daughter and prepares to regenerate, Gretel appears. Zelena wants to banish her, but Gretel states she is merely there to deliver a gift. Gretel shows her that her near future will not be painful, and tells her that the time has come to regenerate. As the heroes return to say goodbye to Zelena, Gretel disappears. }} Gretel realizes that there's no one in the prison cell and breaks out using her magic and quickly teleports to the heroes' hotel and knocks on the door to Kelly's hotel room. Kelly answers the door and is surprised to see Gretel on the doorstep. After mocking Kelly by asking where her old friend Belle is, Gretel begrudgingly reveals that she needs her help. Kelly asks why she would ever help her, to which Gretel reveals that they're now essentially on the same side against Mortimer and Gothel. Kelly begrudgingly agrees to help Gretel, but when Magie makes herself known, Kelly reveals that she doesn't do anything without backup. Kelly then orders Gretel to tell her everything she knows, to which Gretel confirms a startling fact - Gothel does indeed have a bone to pick with someone - Kelly. Shortly after joining up with the heroes, another person knocks on the door, to which Kelly answers the door, allowing Alice Carroll, Drizella, Lewis Carroll, and Clara Noir in. While Clara and Lewis amiably greet Gretel, Alice and Drizella inform Gretel that they're watching her, which Gretel laughs off. When Kelly agrees to help Alice, Drizella, Lewis, and Clara, Gretel tells them that she knows a thing or two about what Cora's up to, and if they want to stop her, they may want to get help from Eloise. However, Kelly reminds that Gothel would sooner kill them than help them. Gretel is later present when Kelly uses a magic bean stolen from Cora's supply to open a portal to Wonderland. Upon their arrival in Wonderland, Gretel joins the rest of the heroes as they search for Cora's castle. Once they have found the castle, Gretel remarks that it's as big as the ego of its queen. Later, when Cora and Gothel are chasing the heroes down with liquid time, Gretel uses her magic for good, freezing the time in place. Gretel tells the heroes to run, soon following after them. After the heroes have defeated Cora, Drizella remarks that maybe Gretel has changed, suggesting to Kelly that she gives her a chance, before they all depart back to the Underworld. }} Trivia Character Notes * Sofia Gardera teased her character as "wicked". * In Gretel's native language, the word "gretel" means "darkness". Appearances References Category:Characters Category:Heroes Unite Characters Category:Magical Forest Characters Category:Seattle Characters Category:Villains Category:Supporting Characters Category:Realm of Destiny Characters Category:Paris Characters Category:Awake During Fifth Curse Category:Land Without Time Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:Season 18 Characters Category:Season 19 Characters Category:Through the Looking Glass Characters